Genesis 3:20 (WEB)
The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.
As quoted in the map (KJV)
Genesis 3:20 (KJV)
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Key words
- חַוָּהChavvah · Hebrew
- 'Eve,' from the root chay (חַי), 'living.' Her name is a title: life-giver.
- ΖωήZōē · Greek (LXX)
- 'Life' — the Septuagint translates her name outright: 'Adam called his wife's name Life, because she is the mother of all the living.'
Why it matters
Only after the fall is the woman named Eve, 'mother of all living.' Pitre observes that the New Testament transfers this title to Mary: at the cross the New Eve becomes mother of the beloved disciple (John 19:26–27), and Revelation 12:17 speaks of 'the rest of her offspring' who keep God's commandments. Eve is mother of all who live by nature; Mary is mother of all who live by grace.